Reminiscences On Rivers’ Giant Strides In Sports 

Fifty seven years today, Rivers State was carved out of the Eastern Region of Nigeria by the then Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, as a new addition to the make-up of the country.Full of potential and human capital endowment, the fledgling state, supervised by the young and ebullient Naval Officer, Alfred Diete-Spiff, set out to make its mark, with sports and talent development as one of its hallmarks.
Today, as champagne is popped, backs are slapped and congratulations rent the air in commemoration of her anniversary, it is pertinent to recall some of the State’s strides and contributions in sports to the country.
It will not be out of place to state that Rivers State has managed to prove itself one of the pillars that have made Nigeria one of the leading sporting nations in Africa and beyond.
Through the vision of the founding fathers of the state, sports infrastructure, talent discovery and development were given priority attention early in the life of the state. Sports promotion and competitions, especially, at the grassroots stage were prevalent, no wonder why the state prides itself as one of the key nursery beds that supplied athletes and sports facilities to the country for national and international assignments.
To date, Rivers state, both in its old and new versions, has been a destination of choice for sports men, women, administrators and fans, as it has unique ways of captivating and holding visitors spellbound through unbeatable hospitality, friendly ambience and economic opportunities that are open to residents and visitors.
It is on record that the state had at various times put her facilities forward to bail out the country and ensure that various international sporting competitions were staged by the country, it also committed ample resources to motivate Nigerian teams and athletes to positivity and glory. The former Liberation Stadium, now Yakubu Gowon Stadium, the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium Complex and the Alfred Diete-Spiff Sports Complex have at various times been put at the disposal of the country for continental and global sports events. The role the state played in 2002 to ensure that the Super Eagles of Nigeria secured a ticket to that year’s FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan is still fresh in memory. In addition, the state has been a home ground not only for the Super Eagles, but other national youth teams and other Sports Federations in their bid to bring glory to the country. The Port Harcourt Centre of the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, Nigeria ’99, was adjudged one of the best centres of the championship, owing to the level of excitement, service delivery and quality of the facilities available at the centre.
It is also worthy to note that Rivers has remained one of the only few states that have hosted Nigeria’s Olympics, the National Sports Festival more than once, in 1988 tagged ‘Rivers ‘88’ and in 2011, Garden City Games, acknowledged as the best National Sports Festival in the history of the Games since 1973.
The state has also consistently flown the flag of the country as her representative in different sports. In football where defunct Eagle Cement Fc, Dolphins Fc, Sharks Fc, Rivers Angels and Rivers United had held sway at various times, basketball where Rivers Hoopers are currently the top dog of the game in Nigeria to other events like swimming, weightlifting, wrestling, scrabble, athletics and others, Rivers has contributed in no small measure to cast the country among the elites in the comity of sporting nations in Africa and beyond.
On the list of firsts, the state’s women football team, the Rivers Angels were the first from the country to participate in the African Women Champions League organized by Confederation of African Football, CAF, Rivers Hoopers have also become the first basketball team from the country to feature in the Basketball African League, BAL. The first and internationally acclaimed High Performance Centre for athletes is domiciled in the state, at the University of Port Harcourt, making the state very important to the grooming and preparation of young and elite athletes for international meets and competitions.
Apart from teams and facilities, Rivers has thrown up athletes in different fields that have helped put the state and country on the sporting map in the continent and world.
From stars of yester-years to contemporary athletes, the state boasts a rich history of top performers to strut their stuff and brought glory to the land.
Back in the days, names like Adokiye Amiesimaka was synonymous with football in Nigeria. Amiesimaka was one of the few youngsters that were able to combine sports with University education in the late 1970s and ‘80s. As an undergraduate at the University of Lagos, the gifted footballer was able to play for the national team, the then Green Eagles that went on to win the African Cup of Nations for the country for the first time in 1980.
He also played for the famous Rangers International of Enugu and Sharks FC of Port Harcourt. An accomplished Lawyer, Amiesimaka was at sometime the Attorney-General of the State, ace broadcaster and football administrator with a passion for the development of grassroots football.
Some other prominent footballers to have come out from the state include, Taribo West of the Atlanta ’96 Olympic games fame, Imama Amapakabo, Tonwonrimi Duere, George Finidi, who has just been announced as the coach of the national team, Joseph Yobo, one of the most consistent performers in Nigeria football. After cutting his teeth at local side, NAFCON FC, Port Harcourt, he became a youth international and part of the Flying Eagles team when Nigeria hosted the world during the World Youth Championship, WYC, Nigeria’99. He also took his game to Europe, England and Turkey and became an integral part of the Super Eagles. He went on to captain the Super Eagles and emerged the first player to hit the century mark (100 caps) for the national team.
Yobo, today could be considered to be one of the icons of the national team and football in Rivers State.
In swimming, names like Obia Inyengiyikabo rings a bell. Inyengiyikabo was the leading face of new generation athletes that thrust the State in the glare of national and continental limelight in the recent past. Nicknamed ‘the Fish,’ she was the queen of the pool and bestrode the national swimming landscape as a colossus for years. A national record holder in Breaststrokes and Backstrokes, Obia dominated National Sports Festivals, regional and national swimming tournaments.
She, at different times emerged multiple gold medal winner at different Collegiate Games, at both the Nigerian University Games, NUGA and West African University Games, WAUG. University of Port Harcourt owes some of her past domineering performances at NUGA and WAUG, to Inyingiyikabo’s medal hauls. In fact, she is regarded as the greatest female swimmer of all time in Nigeria.
Another recent generation swimmer who showed great potentials was Eric Williams. After winning medals for the State, especially at National Sports Festivals, Williams captained Nigeria in several national and international competitions where he equally won laurels.
One of the best sprinters to have come out of the State was Ombo Peters. Late Peters was a specialist in the sprints and long jump between 1960s and 1970s and was a member of the Nigerian Team to the Edinburgh Commonwealth Games of 1986.

Gabriel Nwanetanya